LALC Constitution
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LANCASHIRE ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL COUNCILS Howick House, Howick Park Ave, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 0LS Telephone 01772 750900 E-mail [email protected] CONSTITUTION Note : All references to Local Councils means parish councils, town councils, community councils, neighbourhood councils, village councils and parish meetings. All references to serving councillors in member parishes means parish councils, town councils, community councils neighbourhood councils, village councils and parish meetings. Clause l Name and Membership The Association shall consist of Local Councils in the County of Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and in the Metropolitan Districts of Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Wigan, Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Tameside, and Manchester City and shall be known as the Lancashire Association of Local Councils (LALC). By virtue of membership of the County Association, councils have membership of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). Clause 2 Objectives The aims and objectives of the Association are to take all such steps as may be necessary or desirable in the interest of councils consistent with the objectives of the National Association of Local Councils which are: (a) To protect and represent the interests, rights, functions, and privileges of member councils (b) To assist members in the performance of their duties and to promote and develop the social cultural and recreational wellbeing of their local areas (c) To promote a widespread and well-informed interest in local councils (d) To promote good practice in local councils. (e) To promote high standards through good quality training Clause 3 Annual General Meeting (a) There shall be an Annual General meeting of the County Association. Every member council shall . appoint and be represented by the persons indicated in Appendix 1. A person appointed under this sub-clause to represent a member council shall not be appointed as a representative by any other member council nor be entitled to vote on behalf of that other council. In addition the President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and co-opted members shall be ex-officio non voting members of the general meeting unless they are voting on behalf of their council. (b) The Accountant shall ex-officio be a member of the General meeting save that he may not vote. (c) The Annual General meeting shall be held in November. The Chief Executive Officer shall give to each member council and to every ex-officio and co-opted member of the General meeting not less than 35 working days’ notice of the date, time and place of the meeting and shall send with such notice a copy of the accounts for the preceding year. Clause 4 Subscriptions Each member council shall pay to the County Association on or before 1st July in each financial year ending 31st March, a subscription which shall be based upon the number of Electors for the member councils and the scale of subscriptions shall be based on the budget agreed by the AGM. Clause 5 President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and Accountants (a) There shall be a President and such number of Vice-Presidents as may from time to time be determined by the annual General meeting, a Treasurer and Accountants, all of whom shall be elected at the Annual General meeting in each year and shall respectively be eligible for re-election. The President shall preside at Annual/Extraordinary General meetings; in his absence the General meeting shall appoint a Vice-President; or some other person from their own number, to preside. 1 (b) Nominations for the offices of President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Accountant shall be sent to the Chief Executive Officer 10 working days before the Annual General meeting. (c) Vacancies in any of the said offices may be filled by the Executive Committee. (d) Each officer shall hold office until the following Annual General meeting. Clause 6 Extraordinary General Meetings Extraordinary General meetings, of which not less than 15 working days’ notice shall be given to each member council stating the objects of the meeting, may be called at any time by ; (a) The Executive Committee (b) The Chief Executive Officer after the receipt of a requisition in writing signed by not less than one tenth of member councils. Clause 7 Proceedings for Annual/Extra-ordinary General Meetings (see Appendix 3) The quorum at an Annual/Extraordinary General meeting shall be 12 member councils. If at an Annual General Meeting no quorum is present within half an hour of the time appointed for the commencement of business, the meeting shall stand adjourned, to a time and place nominated by the Chief Executive Officer, when the quorum shall be 6 member councils. Clause 8 Area Committee (a) The Annual General meeting may establish Area committees for areas consisting of one or more districts as it may deem necessary. The membership of each such committee shall include all the member councils within its area, and each member council shall be entitled to appoint three representatives, one of whom may be the clerk, to its Area committee. (b) Subject to the terms of this Constitution the functions of Area committees may be determined from time to time by the general meeting. (c) Subject to the directions of the General meeting each Area committee may arrange its own business and procedure and may appoint such officers as it may deem necessary. A copy of the minutes of the proceedings of an area committee shall be forwarded to the County Association. (d) Area committees may submit resolutions to the Annual General meeting and Extraordinary General meetings of the County Association in accordance with the timescales and rules set out in the Constitution. (e) The Annual General meeting may arrange for the Executive Committee of the County Association to carry out the functions of an Area committee under this clause. (f) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Area Committee shall each be an elected council member Clause 9 County Executive Committee (a) There shall be a County Association Executive Committee comprising: (i) The President and Treasurer by virtue of their offices. (ii) The number of councillors appointed by each Area committee according to the table in Appendix 2 Composition of the appendices shall be the responsibi lity of the Finance & Management Sub-Committee (iii) A named deputy may be appointed by each Area committee 2 (b) The County Executive committee may co-opt any person, who will be non-voting and not more than 5 additional members. The number of such additional members shall not exceed one quarter of the total membership of the Committee. Such members will hold office until the next Annual General meeting. (c) Casual vacancies on the Executive committee shall be filled (i) in the case of persons appointed by an Area committee, by that committee; (ii) in the case of other persons, by the Executive committee itself. Any such co-optee shall hold office until the next Annual General meeting. (d) The Executive committee may appoint such working groups as deemed necessary, which may include members of the general meeting. (e) A quorum of the Executive committee shall be 10 members. Clause 10 Chairman and Vice Chairman and Officers of Committee The County Association Executive committee shall at its first meeting in each year after the Annual General Meeting appoint for the forthcoming year a Chairman, Vice-Chairman and any such additional officers at the Executive Meeting as it deems necessary. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall respectively be eligible for annual re-election, except that no person shall hold the office of Chairman for more than three consecutive years. The Chairman shall take the chair of the committee whenever (s)he is present. The Vice-Chairman shall perform the duties of the Chairman in his/her absence. If at any meeting the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman are absent, the committee shall elect a chairman for that meeting from among their number. Clause 11 Sub-Committees/Working Groups There shall be a Finance and Management sub-committee appointed by the Executive committee. The Executive committee shall have power (i) to appoint any other sub-committee/working group deemed necessary which may include members of member councils other than members of the Executive committee, (ii) to make rules for the transaction of its business, and (iii) to delegate any of its functions to such sub-committees. The Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the committee shall be ex-officio members of every sub-committee See appendix 3 for the role and functions of the Finance and Management sub-committee. Clause 12 Place and Notice of Meeting The Chief Executive Officer shall give to every person entitled to receive the same, not less than seven working days' notice in writing of the time and place of meetings of the Executive committee or of any sub-committee or working group, specifying in such notice the business to be transacted. Clause 13 Functions of the Executive Committee Subject to the provisions of this constitution, the Executive committee may provide for the conduct, management, control and administration of the affairs of the County Association and may take such steps, incur such expenses, acquire and dispose of such property, enter into such commitments or arrangements and employ such servants or agents as may be suitable for carrying the policy of the Association into effect. Clause 14 Omission to give Notice of Meeting The accidental omission or failure to give notice of any Annual/Extraordinary General meeting or any meeting of the committee, or of any sub-committee, or working group or any member council or person entitled to receive the same or the non-receipt of any such notice as aforesaid shall not invalidate the proceedings at any such meeting.